Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2356: Fortunately in Nanjing (Twenty-three) Calculation

"Before you two left, your country's imperial representative sent a letter to confirm the mission of the Japanese delegation. If I remember correctly, there was no request to the Ming Dynasty to allow Japan to send students to study in the West. What do you have to tell me about this?"

Shimazu Tadatsune and Tokugawa Hidetada looked at each other, and Shimazu Tadatsune continued, "Gokaku, although our country of Japan is located at the edge of the sea, we have always admired the culture of the Ming Dynasty. In the past, the Tang Dynasty envoys frequently traveled to Japan, and we were blessed and benefited a lot. Now that the Ming Dynasty has achieved great success in culture and military, and the country is peaceful, we are even more yearning for it.

Therefore, the two of us wrote down what we saw and heard along the way and sent it back many times on merchant ships. After the public official learned about it, he specially ordered us to ask the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty for permission to allow our Japanese students to study across the sea, so that they can be like the Tang Dynasty and be immersed in the Chinese culture. "

Tokugawa Hidetada also added: "My Lord, although our country is small, we are also determined to learn the advanced systems and technologies of the Ming Dynasty. If we can get the permission of the Ming Dynasty, we will strictly select students to ensure that they have good conduct, are diligent and studious, and live up to the grace of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

As expected, the decision maker behind this matter was Tokugawa Ieyasu. This is not surprising. If Narita Kai had this intention, he would naturally write a separate letter to him to explain the reason. And more importantly, none of the male and female servants of the Ministry of Internal Affairs around Narita Kai reported that there was a letter from the Japanese delegation to her, which shows that the letter from Shimazu Tadatsune and Tokugawa Hidetada was only given to Ieyasu, not to Narita Kai.

It is not surprising that Tokugawa Hidetada only sent the letter to his father, Tokugawa Ieyasu. What is strange is why Shimazu Tadatsune did the same? Did Shimazu Tadatsune's position change, or was he fooled by Tokugawa Hidetada?

Gao Fusi did not doubt that the entire Shimazu family's position would change, but it was hard to say for Shimazu Tadatsune personally. Although he was nominally the head of the Shimazu family, he was not like his uncle and father, who had experienced many ups and downs. Shimazu Tadatsune was just a young man. Whether he was deceived into changing his position or was deceived in the operation of a specific matter, it was not a surprising surprise.

Gao Youshi nodded slightly, pondered, and said slowly: "I have understood your sincerity. This matter is of great importance and requires the emperor's judgment. However, before that, I would like to ask one more question. If there are really Japanese students coming to Ming to study, what kind of knowledge do you hope they will learn?"

Shimazu Tadatsune immediately replied: "The culture, system, technology, agriculture, and craftsmanship of the Ming Dynasty are all what Japanese students are eager to learn. As a samurai, I think the military academy of the Ming Dynasty is a place that everyone yearns for. If we can learn the military strategy and tactics of the Ming Dynasty, it will be of great benefit to the stability of Japan."

Tokugawa Hidetada also nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty, what His Majesty Tadatsune said is very true. We warriors are well aware of the strength of the Ming Dynasty's military. If we can learn a thing or two, if the Your Majesty summons us in the future, we will be able to serve the Ming Dynasty and the Your Majesty better."

Although it was just a few clichés, Gao Youshi was a man who had basically determined that Shimazu Tadatsune was most likely fooled by Tokugawa Hidetada, and really believed that Tokugawa Hidetada instigated the sending of people to the Ming Dynasty to study military affairs in order to "serve the Imperial Cabinet."

The young man is still too naive. The interests of your Shimazu family are all tied to my Jinghua. The Shimazu family sent people to learn military affairs, probably intending to serve me - at least for now, but as for Tokugawa Ieyasu, that is not necessarily the case.

Although Ieyasu was an old fox who was good at calculating, he knew that even if he sent some people to learn military affairs, it would not change the basic fact that Japan did not have enough capital to compete with the Ming Dynasty. But that was under normal circumstances, and what if the situation changed... hehe.

Even if Ieyasu felt that with Gao Youshi in the Ming Dynasty, there was no possibility of "change in the situation" in the short term, but taking this opportunity to send more people to the Ming Dynasty to study would be a great thing for him and their Tokugawa family.

If the Ming Dynasty is at peace, the confidants he sent as the general can strengthen the military foundation of the Tokugawa family; if the Ming Dynasty is in chaos, he can also be the first to obtain first-hand intelligence and make the fastest and most accurate response based on it - whether he is playing a loyal minister or a hero.

Relying on the fact that Shimazu Tadatsune and Tokugawa Hidetada had only been here for a short time and had not yet bought the palace's intelligence, and not knowing that the emperor had already read their petition, Gao Youshi smiled slightly and said, "I will report your request to His Majesty the Emperor as soon as possible. However, I would also like to remind you that the Daming Military Academy is an important place for the court. Even the students of Daming are mostly from generations of generals or battlefield heroes, and they must go through strict selection and assessment. If Japanese students really have the opportunity to enter to study, they must abide by the laws of Daming and the rules of the academy."

Shimazu Tadatsune and Tokugawa Hidetada quickly expressed their understanding and promised that if the Japanese students were fortunate enough to be admitted, they would strictly abide by all the regulations of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, they were even secretly happy, because according to Gao Youshi, family background was an important criterion for recruiting candidates to the Ming Military Academy. This meant that if Japan followed suit, it could only select children from various samurai families, and the Tokugawa and Shimazu families would have a huge advantage.

Gao Youshi nodded, then changed the subject and continued to appreciate the beautiful scenery of Sakurazu with the two of them. At the same time, he subtly inquired about the situation in Japan and tried to find out their attitude towards the Ming Dynasty from various clues - Gao Youshi has always been good at this.

After the pleasant lake cruise, Gao Youshi returned to Chunhe Palace and pondered for a long time in his room. He then drafted a memorial in his own handwriting, detailing the conversations with Shimazu Tadatsune and Tokugawa Hidetada, as well as his own suggestions, and prepared to present it to Zhu Yijun the next morning. He believed that after reading this memorial, the emperor would seriously consider Japan's request and make a wise "holy judgment".

  Before writing this memorial, Gao Youshi first seriously thought about a question: In the colonial era in history, why did European powers allow students from all over the world to study military affairs in their country's military academies?

This was a problem that he knew clearly in the past but had never delved into. It was only today that he encountered a similar situation, so he had to think about it seriously.

After careful consideration, he believes that this phenomenon can be understood from the following aspects:

The first is cultural dissemination and the spread of influence: colonial powers can strengthen their cultural influence on colonial and semi-colonial countries through the dissemination of education and culture. Through military education, colonial powers not only cultivate a group of pro-Western elites, but also spread their political and military ideas, thus forming a sense of identity and dependence in colonial and semi-colonial countries. This strategy helps colonial powers maintain their influence in politics and culture, and also cultivates a group of loyal allies and supporters for colonial powers.

The second is political and economic interests: through military education, colonial countries can attract and train military talents from all over the world, who may become pro-Western political and military leaders after returning home. Such arrangements help colonial countries to maintain their global interests politically, while also providing guarantees for their economic interests. Colonial countries achieve huge economic profits by controlling the resources and markets of their colonies.

The third is the dissemination and control of military technology: through military education, colonial countries can spread advanced military technology and tactics to other countries, thereby maintaining a certain military advantage... Well, the logic here is a bit confusing. It can be understood that through this kind of military education, colonial countries can maintain a high level of understanding and control over the military development of other countries - everything you know is what I taught you, so I can naturally deal with you - thus helping to maintain their global strategic interests.

Fourth, the balance of international relations and foreign policy: Through military education, colonial countries can establish closer diplomatic relations with other countries. This kind of educational exchange helps colonial countries gain support in international affairs, while also providing more flexibility for their foreign policy. By cultivating military talents from other countries, colonial countries can play a greater role in international relations and influence the policy direction of other countries.

The fifth is colonial management and control: Through military education, colonial countries can train a group of colonial officials and military personnel who are familiar with Western military systems and management methods. These people can play a key role in colonial management, helping colonial countries to more effectively control and manage their colonies and maintain the stability of their colonial rule. In other words, although you are a student sent by another country, it does not mean that you cannot serve me in the future - I have at least a few years to "influence" you, right?

In general, the European powers in the colonial era allowed students from all over the world to study in their military academies, which was a strategy that combined cultural, political, economic and military considerations. This strategy not only helped the colonial powers spread their influence around the world, but also provided support for them to maintain and expand their global interests.

Now that the logic behind this is clear, there is no need to doubt how Gao Yousi would advise Zhu Yijun.

Just as Japan did not dare to look westward for hundreds of years after the Tang Dynasty beat Japan up, now the Ming Dynasty has also beaten Japan up, and Japan is also afraid of the Ming Dynasty.

On this basis, considering that the Japanese are naturally strong, as long as the idea of ​​"the Ming Dynasty is invincible" is deeply engraved in the minds of the students sent by Japan, when they return home after completing their studies, Japan will be truly loyal to the Ming Dynasty. The guide party is often more harmful than the enemy. However, times have changed, and now it is the turn of the Ming Dynasty to cultivate its own guide party in other people's homes. This is called karma.

The next morning, Gao Fusi had submitted a memorial and was reviewing it in the Wenyuan Pavilion. Sure enough, the Imperial Household Department sent someone to invite him, saying that the emperor had summoned him. Gao Fusi had expected this and went there.

When he arrived at the Qianqing Palace and entered the west warm room, he saw the emperor holding his memorial in his hand with a frown on his face.

Zhu Yijun naturally had no doubts about Gao Youshi's ability and loyalty, but the emperor was indeed hesitant about Japan's request - or more precisely, about Gao Youshi's intention to agree to Japan sending outstanding young children from the shogunate and major families to study at the Ming Military Academy.

"Rixin, I have read your memorial." Zhu Yijun said slowly, "Japan requests to send students to study in Ming Dynasty. Do you think the benefits outweigh the disadvantages?"

Gao Youshi bowed slightly and said in a deep voice: "Yes, Your Majesty, I think this matter will bring more benefits than disadvantages to our Ming Dynasty."

"Tell me about it." Zhu Yijun nodded without frowning.

Gao Guoshi sorted out his thoughts and said, "Your Majesty, I have already elaborated on the pros and cons of this matter in my memorial. However, I understand your Majesty's concerns, which are mainly about how to ensure that these Japanese students will not become a potential threat to our Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yijun continued to nod, motioning Gao Youshi to continue.

Gao Fusi continued: "First, we can limit the number of students sent by Japan and strictly supervise their learning content and scope of activities. We can allow them to learn about culture, agriculture, crafts and other knowledge, but they should especially focus on learning Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.

Through Neo-Confucianism, we need to make them realize that the Ming Dynasty, as the Celestial Empire, and the Ming Emperor, as the Celestial Empire, are the ones they need to be most loyal to. As for other people in Japan, even if they still need to be loyal, this loyalty should be ranked below loyalty to the Ming Emperor. As for learning in sensitive areas such as military affairs, we need to be cautious. "

Zhu Yijun seemed to have just thought of educating Japanese students through science. He couldn't help but smile and nodded, saying, "Rixin, this is a good idea." After a pause, he asked, "Then...what are you talking about that you should be cautious about?"

"Military studies are different from other subjects, so we should be more cautious. The reason why I limit the students sent by Japan to study military studies to the children of the shogunate and various feudal lords is because their status is quite similar to the children of our nobles.

These people were born in a system of superiority and inferiority, and they care most about superiority and inferiority. Since our Ming Dynasty is the Celestial Empire, it is the top of this system of superiority and inferiority. As long as they accept this, they will naturally think, instead of being loyal to Japan, why not be loyal to the Celestial Empire?

Of course, in order to ensure that we do not recruit some people who are born to rebel, we can also ask Japan to strictly screen the students it sends to ensure that they have good character, loyalty and reliability - but we must also reserve the right to the final review to ensure the most critical standard: the person must be extremely envious of our Celestial Empire's education and deeply hate his own misfortune that he was not born in China. "

Zhu Yijun laughed when he heard this, but still stretched out his hand and made a gesture of "keep on talking".

"There is nothing else to say. In short, I think that through this move, we can deepen our understanding and influence on Japan and lay a good foundation for increasingly frequent trade exchanges in the future. At the same time, this will also help us ensure that the sea bridgehead plays a positive role."

Zhu Yijun nodded and concluded: "That is to say, you think that through education, we can cultivate a group of Japanese elites who are extremely loyal to the Ming Dynasty in Japan, which will play an important role in maintaining the security of the eastern border of the Ming Dynasty?"

"That's right." Gao Youshi answered simply.

Zhu Yijun pondered and said, "What do you think is a good number?"

Gao Youshi said, "Let's not talk about other subjects for now. As for the Military Academy... ten students every year."

"Ah, only ten?" Zhu Yijun was stunned. "Rixin, I remember that ordinary students who graduated from the Military Academy were only promoted to captains at the beginning, with no more than 400 to 500 soldiers under their command, and as few as 100 to 200. Some armies with serious shortages even had less than 100 soldiers under their command. The students sent by Japan to the Military Academy only became ten captains every year... Isn't this too few?"

Gao Youshi shook his head, then laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you don't know that, precisely because they are so few in number, it is impossible for them to be just 'Bazong' after returning to Japan."

Zhu Yijun still felt something was wrong, and wondered: "But I remember you said that Japan has a population of at least 10 million, and a total military force of more than 500,000. These ten battalion commanders every year... Even if they are used as thousand commanders, how many years will it take for them to become the mainstream?"

"Your Majesty, you don't know." Gao Youshi smiled and said, "First, things are valuable because they are rare. Because there are so few places, the Japanese shogunate and the various rebellions will definitely regard them as treasures and vigorously promote them. Therefore, they will be promoted soon after they return... At least much faster than being promoted in the Ming army.

Secondly, this is exactly what I want to see - they only learned how to be a battalion commander, or at most a thousand commander, but after returning to Japan, they will inevitably rise to high positions quickly because of excessive attention. In this way, if there is really a day in the future when the Ming Dynasty and Japan go to war again, then the abilities of these important Japanese military officers... what is the point of mentioning in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty? "

  Zhu Yijun was stunned for a while, then he smiled bitterly and said: "When it comes to scheming, it's you, Rixin! In this case, let's do it as you say."
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